Michael is the first and oldest of the four Archangels created by God, making him the very first angel ever created, as well as one of the oldest and most powerful beings in the universe. During the War In Heaven in the distant past, Michael banished Lucifer from Heaven on God's command, later restricting him to a Cage bound by 66 Seals.[1][2] He was the Viceroy of Heaven in God's absence and commanded the Heavenly Host before he fell into the Cage with Lucifer. As the highest-ranking Archangel, he issued the commands, which went to the higher-ranking angels to disperse the orders down across the angelic chain.

On Earth, he appeared using John Winchester as a vessel to interact with Dean Winchester.[3] There, Michael informs him that anyone in the Winchester bloodline is capable of being his vessel, even though he mentions that Dean is his one true vessel. He eventually occupies Adam Milligan's body[4] while confronting Lucifer, who was using Sam as a vessel. When he falls into the Cage,[5] Heaven loses stability and it results in a civil war between Raphael and Castiel, among other angels.[6]

Michael was trapped in the Cage with Adam and was supposedly driven mad during his time with Lucifer.[8] However, when God decided to end the world,[9] he opened every door in Hell including the door to the Cage, giving Michael the opportunity to leave. Though he initially didn't take the chance,[10] Michael eventually escaped. Now sharing control with Adam, Michael was left disillusioned by his father's betrayals and provided the Winchesters and Castiel with the means to trap God, though he refused to help them any further.[11]

Upon imprisoning the Darkness, Michael looked after Lucifer and personally raised him, taking care of him in, as he said, "a way that most people could never understand". He also mentioned that while living in Heaven with God and their siblings, Michael and Lucifer were happy together.[5][12]

After God locked away the Leviathans in the monster realm Purgatory and after he started the creation of Heaven and its angels and Earth and its people, he commanded all of the celestial beings to bow before mankind, asking them to love humans more than him. Though Michael obediently did so, Lucifer questioned this order, insisting that they are "broken, flawed abortions." Lucifer then sought out Michael for support, but Michael refused to listen and therefore, under God's orders, cast Lucifer out of Heaven. When Lucifer had corrupted man and created demons, Michael, again under God's orders, cast Lucifer into his cage. At some point, God left Heaven and Michael assumed command of the angels, running Heaven and Earth (and possibly the entire universe) for millennia.[2][14]

When demons began making plans to free Lucifer, Michael decided to allow the seals binding Lucifer to be broken. He and a group of other angels, including Raphael and Zachariah, wanted the Apocalypse to occur so that he and Lucifer could battle. Michael expected to be victorious, so as to bring about paradise on Earth. Lesser angels, like Castiel, were not privy to the plan and were deployed to make it look as though Heaven was fighting the Devil's release. However, those angels that did learn of their plans (like Castiel) were either forced to cooperate with their plans or were cast out of Heaven.[15] As part of their plan to bring about the Apocalypse, Michael worked with Lilith, though his intentions were to try to bring God back.[11]

Upon Lucifer's rising from the Cage, Zachariah reveals to Dean that he is the Archangel's true vessel and they plan for Michael to use Dean Winchester to kill Lucifer once and for all. However, Dean needs to give his consent to be the vessel but the latter refuses and Zachariah's attempt to force him are stopped by Castiel.[1]

After Anna Milton injures Mary and kills Sam Winchester by stabbing him in the stomach, Michael, the Archangel, conversed with John Winchester from Heaven, telling him that he can save his wife, if he allows him to take possession of his body. John consents.

When Anna is about to kill Mary, Michael calls out to Anna. Anna turns around and immediately realizes that Michael is possessing John. Michael lays his hand on Anna and kills his sister by setting her ablaze. Uriel then calls out to Michael and apologizes, saying that he "didn't know," most likely referring to the fact that he didn't know Michael had plans for the family. Michael says goodbye to Uriel and sends him away with a snap of his fingers. An anxious Mary then questions who or what the archangel is. Michael reassures her that "John is fine" before knocking her out with a touch.

Michael kills Anna

Michael then turns to Dean, remarking on their awaited talk as Dean realized who he was and demanded that Michael heal Sam, but Michael tells him he will after they talk first. Dean asks Michael how he could possess his father, since he was his "one and only" vessel. Michael corrects Dean stating that he is his true vessel and that he can inhabit the body of all those that share the Winchester bloodline, due to the fact that Dean and John are descendants of Cain and Abel. He then explains to Dean that even though Lucifer defied their Father and betrayed him, he doesn't want to kill him any more than Dean would want to kill Sam. Michael then says regardless of the fact that he raised Lucifer and still loves him, he is going to obey his Father and kill Lucifer. He adds that Dean will eventually say "yes" to him because free will is an illusion and that his choices, regardless of what they may be, will lead him a step closer to his destiny that was planned out by God.

Michael tells Dean that he will say "Yes" to him eventually.

Michael tells a saddened Dean to cheer up because, unlike his brothers, he won't leave him a "drooling mess" after he's done wearing him. He promises Dean that he will erase John and Mary's memories of the whole incident and that they won't remember anything about angels, him, or Sam. Michael walks over to Sam's body, resurrects him, and sends him back to his own time. Michael then walks toward Dean, telling him that he'll see him soon before sending him back to his own time too.

Michael speaks to Zachariah.

In Point of No Return, Zachariah has been dismissed from his position and is on Earth where he drinks in a bar, awaiting his destruction, when Michael makes contact. The brilliance and sound of the archangel kills the bar patrons. Zachariah expects Michael to kill him on the spot and doesn't try to resist but Michael instead offers Zachariah one last chance to secure Dean as a vessel. Delighted, Zachariah agrees if he is given back his position which Michael grants and Zachariah puts his plan into action.

Adam is taken by Michael.

Meanwhile, seeing no other way to defeat Lucifer and save the planet, Dean is prepared to consent to becoming Michael's vessel when it is discovered that his half-brother Adam Milligan has been resurrected. The angels hold Adam as bait, and Sam and Dean attempt to rescue him. Zachariah tortures Sam and Adam in front of Dean, forcing Dean to agree to consent. Zachariah utters an incantation that summons Michael to their location, only for Dean to kill a distracted Zachariah with an Angel Blade. Sam and Dean manage to escape before Michael descends, but Adam is trapped inside the room and vanishes with Michael. Adam is technically a vessel, if only a temporary one, for Michael, being of the Winchester bloodline.

Michael prepares to fight Lucifer.

In Swan Song, Michael appears at Stull Cemetery in Lawrence, Kansas in possession of Adam's body in order to face Lucifer in the final battle of Armageddon. Lucifer tries to convince Michael that they shouldn't fight because God made Lucifer the way he is, because he always wanted the Devil. Michael isn't convinced and the two prepare to fight just as Dean drives down into the cemetery and interrupts them.

Sam takes Michael with him as he falls into the Cage.

As Dean tries to talk to Sam, Castiel and Bobby appear and Castiel hits Michael with a holy oil molotov cocktail in order to send him away temporarily. After Lucifer makes Castiel explode and breaks Bobby's neck, he begins beating Dean up. This continues until Sam reclaims control of his body and opens the portal to Hell. Michael returns just then and tells Sam that he can't jump in because he has to fulfill his destiny by killing Lucifer. Sam doesn't listen and when Michael tries to grab hold of him to stop him from falling, Sam takes hold of his arm and pulls him in, causing Sam, Michael, Adam and Lucifer to all get trapped in the Cage.

Subsequently, in Heaven, Raphael informs Castiel that he wants to release Lucifer and Michael so that the Apocalypse can be restarted. While talking with Dean, Castiel speculates that Lucifer and Michael are probably abusing Sam's soul, as they see their imprisonment as his fault. Balthazar makes a similar assumption, as does Crowley. Dean explains to Death, who already knows, that Michael, still inside Adam Milligan, also fell into the Cage, and requests that the Horseman retrieves both Sam and Adam's souls. But Death forces him to pick one - Dean picks Sam.

In Our Little World, after Sam and Dean question Castiel about Metatron, Sam experiences a vision of Lucifer's Cage, which is seen for the first time from the outside. Two hands are seen to be grasping the wall of the Cage, though it remains unclear whether the hands belong to Lucifer or Michael.

In The Devil in the Details, Lucifer tells Sam that prison life has supposedly driven Michael insane and claims that he is now curled in a ball in a corner of the Cage and passes his time "singing show tunes and touching himself". Lucifer must have lied in any case, because it was later shown that the archangel Michael may interact quite normally in his behavior.[11]

In We Happy Few, God and Lucifer tell the Winchesters that it took all four archangels to weaken the Darkness enough for God to lock her away the first time. However, God tells them that their team is three short as Gabriel and Raphael are dead and God can't resurrect them in a timely manner while Michael is in no state for battle.

In Stuck in the Middle (With You), Michael and Lucifer appear in a painting which represents their fight during the First Heaven Civil War. Later on, Michael is revealed to have crafted a lance specifically for tormenting Lucifer, likely for their battle during the Civil War. The lance fell into the possession of Hell and subsequently Ramiel, who uses it to attack Castiel, but Sam manages to snatch the weapon and kill Ramiel with it. Crowley then breaks the lance to free Castiel of its effects, thus saving his life.

In The British Invasion, Lucifer appears to submit to Crowley's will. When Crowley questions it, Lucifer tells him that "all things considered, I think I'd rather be here than rotting in the Cage with my drooling, insane - and not in a fun way - little bro Michael."

In The Rising Son, after encountering an alternate reality Michael, Lucifer states that the other Michael seems like a cheap knock-off of his Michael "and he's a hot mess." The other Michael wasn't amused to hear his counterpart's fate.

In Various & Sundry Villains, Lucifer mentions Michael to Castiel by calling him his "dick brother" and compares him to his counterpart by stating that when Michael's mind is set on something, he does it. Lucifer states that the alternate Michael is no different and would not stop in trying to cross over in the main universe.

During Exodus, Lucifer tells his son Jack about his family such as his uncle Michael who describes him as a "warrior-type." Jack states while he didn't meet the real Michael, he met his counterpart who tortured him as Lucifer states the latter did the same to him.

As of Let the Good Times Roll, Michael is currently the last surviving Archangel of the main universe while his counterpart is loose on Earth possessing Dean, a feat the real version couldn't do.

In Back and to the Future, the demonBelphegor tells Dean that every door in Hell opened when God started the end of the world. Dean realizes that this includes Lucifer's Cage which Belphegor confirms. Dean asks about Michael and Belphegor tells Dean that the last he heard, Michael was just sitting there. However, Belphegor points out that if Michael got out, he might hold a grudge against the Winchesters for trapping him.

In Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven, the Winchesters learn that God has a secret fear that he only shared with his favorite which they realize means Michael. Though both God and Lucifer claimed Michael to be insane, Dean suspects they might have been lying and the Winchesters and Castiel travel into Hell to search for Michael. However, Michael is now gone.

Adam and Michael in a diner after returning to Earth

On Earth, Michael allows Adam to have control as his vessel enjoys a burger and a pizza in a diner. Michael, manifests as a duplicate of Adam, as they begin to talk. Michael admits that he doesn't know much about food or life down on Earth and will have Adam be his guide. When Adam asks if Michael will return to Heaven, he tells him that he doesn't know what he'll do now that the other archangels dead and God never returned so he is alone. Adam empathizes as he has no family waiting for him either. When Michael points out that he still has Sam and Dean, Adam responds that he only met them once and they left him to rot in Hell. They bond over the fact that they both have had difficult families.

As they discuss what to do next, Lilith arrives looking for Michael on God's orders. Instantly taking control, Michael is surprised to see that the demon is alive. Lilith explains that she had been sent to fetch him and Michael asks who sent her and she replies that it was God. He is immediately skeptical of the demon's claims as he believes his father wouldn't send a demon to get him. She quickly reminds Michael that the two had worked together in the past, to set up the Apocalypse. He then says that was only to bring God back and Lilith says that while it hadn't worked back then, he had come back on his own and wants to speak with him. Michael orders her to leave but she insists that she can't leave without him. He then obliterates her in a flash of white light after Lilith grabs him, leaving nothing but a pile of ash. Noticing that the entire diner witnessed his actions, Michael erases their memories with a snap of his fingers.

After getting rid of Lilith, Michael begins bouncing all over the globe, finally ending up in Cairo, Egypt with ProphetDonatello Redfield sensing his movements. Castiel reaches out to Michael through prayer, asking for him to come, acknowledging their past and the greater war that is taking place against God. Michael agrees to meet with Castiel in a factory, but is not at all pleased to see his brother as Castiel called him Assbutt, set him on fire, and then helped send Michael to Hell. He also refuses to believe Castiel in his claim that God is now his enemy. As Michael speculates if Castiel had really come to beg forgiveness, Castiel surrounds the archangel in a ring of Holy Fire. As the Winchesters enter with the Supernatural Handcuffs, Michael angrily demands to know what Castiel has done.

Michael taken by the Winchesters and Castiel to the bunker.

Taken back to the Men of Letters bunker in handcuffs, Michael calls their actions stupid and starts to comment on how Sam looks compared to the last time Michael saw him in the Cage. Sam cuts Michael off and insists that they need his help. Michael is incredulous that they want him to trust them when Castiel doomed him to Hell and Dean let Lucifer walk free while Adam was trapped in Hell. Sam explains that with what they do, they have gotten too used to losing people and with Adam they said goodbye because they thought they had to but were wrong. Michael tells Sam that he shouldn't be telling him that but Adam, right before he returns control to their brother, surprising the Winchesters that Michael lets Adam have control. Adam explains that he and Michael reached an agreement in the Cage where they only had each other.

Michael quickly retakes control and demands to know why he is there. Castiel starts to explain that they need his help because God did truly return as the Cage didn't "just open on its own". Michael tells them that if God had truly return then he will bring paradise, but Dean counters that he wouldn't as paradise is boring and God only wants to be entertained meaning they are all his puppets, especially Michael. Michael refuses to listen, angrily claiming that they are lying and returns control to Adam who states that Michael isn't listening.

Michael argues with Adam against listening to Sam and Dean's claims about God.

Alone, Adam begins to think that maybe his brothers aren't lying about God. Still refusing to listen, Adam points out to him that Sam and Dean always try to be on the right side of things like when they tried to stop him from saying "Yes" to him. Michael asks if Adam now forgives them and Adam quickly tells him no but that wasn't what this was about. Michael tells him that he has known his father for eternity and won't believe their claims but Adam suggests that Michael might not know his father as well as he thinks as all parents "keep secrets". With more probing, Adam finally gets Michael to admit that he won't consider the truth as it would mean that Michael - the Good Son, the Favorite - doubts his father which is against everything Michael has been and believed in his whole life. Adam questions if Michael really still believes that after God abandoned him in Lucifer's Cage.

When Castiel returns, Michael has retaken control and refuses to betray his father and everything he believes in. Castiel tells the archangel that he never really liked him, even when he was just another angel, as he always thought Michael to be too haughty and "to paraphrase a friend, you had an entire oak tree shoved up your ass.", which Michael did not react to, remaining cold and dismissive, but when Castiel notes he pities Michael as he was never God's favorite but just a tiny part of God's story and figures that at least Lucifer knew that God couldn't be trusted, this is the last straw and Michael furiously attacks Castiel, easily overpowering him despite having the cuffs on. As he swiftly used his cuffed hands to choke the Seraph, Castiel, unable to break free of Michael's fury-driven grip, responds by showing the archangel his memories of God's masquerade as the Prophet Chuck, the war with the Darkness, the murder of his nephew Jack and the Apocalypse WorldMichael.

Disillusioned, Michael orders his brother out to process his thoughts. He later causes the bunker to shake as he becomes distraught that God lied to him and that he wasn't even the only Michael. He then agrees to help and Michael provides Dean and Castiel with the spell that can lock God away. While they have most of the ingredients he tells them that they will also need the nectar from a Leviathan Blossom which only grows in Purgatory. With a snap of his fingers, Michael opens a twelve-hourrift, but refuses to come with them and help further. Dean removes the handcuffs and at Dean's request, Michael returns control to Adam so that Dean can apologize to his brother before Adam and Michael leave the bunker.

Characteristics

Like all angels, Michael's true appearance can't be safely perceived by humans. Michael entering a bar in his true form to talk to Zachariah caused the deaths of all of the human customers.

When wanting to speak with Dean, Michael possessed the younger version of Dean's father John.

After returning to Earth from Lucifer's Cage, Michael appears to have adopted the form of his vesselAdam Milligan as his preferred appearance as Lucifer appeared to prefer the appearance of Nick even while not possessing Nick's body. When communicating with Adam while Adam is in control of their shared body, Michael appears as an identical duplicate of his vessel rather than taking on another shape.

Like several other angels, including his alternate self, Michael can cause his eyes to flash blue. He typically does this when switching with Adam or when he's annoyed such as when Michael kills Lilith.

Personality

“

You're wrong. Lucifer defied our father, and he betrayed me, but still... I don't want this anymore than you would want to kill Sam. You know, my brother--I practically raised him. I took care of him in a way that most people could never understand, and I still love him. But I am going to kill him because it is right and I have to.

Think of a million random acts of chance that let John and Mary be born, to meet, to fall in love, to have the two of you. Think of the million random choices that you make, and yet how each and every one of them brings you closer to your destiny. Do you know why that is? Because it's not random, it's not chance. It's a plan that is playing itself out perfectly. Free will's an illusion, Dean. That's why you're going to say yes.

Michael is a rather complicated being, having many sides of his personality. He is a strong but strict leader, having set up a rigid and sturdy hierarchy in Heaven, along with strict rules and harsh punishments;[17][18] likewise, his rule was described as by Castiel as "corrupt," although it wasn't exactly oppressive. Despite this, he kept his brethren in the dark on many important matters, including God's leaving, and punished any who displayed disobedience with death.

To his father God, however, Michael is fanatically loyal and blindly follows God's orders without question, as sees himself as a "good son",[5] and that is what matters most to him. He loves his father dearly and, despite having not seen him in thousands of years, never lost his faith or his love for him (one of the many qualities that Michael and his one true vessel Dean Winchester both share). Due to his zealous trust in his father's commands, Michael doesn't believe in free will, not even for himself, believing everything that occurs is how his father planned it. In order to help bring God back, Michael went so far as to work with Lilith to bring on the Apocalypse as believed it to be God's will.[11]

According to Lucifer, when he puts his mind to something he'll do it no matter how many have to die. This goes along with his intent to let the Apocalypse proceed to fight his brother as his father commanded and bring paradise. He also shares this trait with his counterpart.

He also professes his love for Lucifer, his younger brother, and admits to Dean that he doesn't want to kill Lucifer any more than Dean would want to kill Sam, but accepts he must do it due to his father's orders and the actions of his younger brother.[3] His love for Lucifer is proven true, as seen before the fight where he acts in a polite and genuinely saddened manner, and when Lucifer proposes they "walk off the chessboard," Michael seriously considers it for a moment before ultimately refusing. Despite loving his younger brother, Michael holds great anger for Lucifer, calling him a "monster" and blaming him for all their problems, pointing out they were once "happy together" but Lucifer ruined everything by "betraying them, betraying all of us" and "making [their] father leave." It remains unknown how good his relationship was with Gabriel and Raphael, although considering Raphael was his second-in-command and proved to be loyal to his cause to kill Lucifer and bring paradise along with still attempting to free him so he and Lucifer could fight even after the Apocalypse was averted, it was obvious they were on good terms but his relationship with Gabriel could be strained considering Gabriel left Heaven and was resentful of Michael's devotion to kill Lucifer, although notably Michael never ordered Gabriel to be hunted down and killed, indicating he was willing to tolerate Gabriel as long as he remained neutral. Nevertheless, Michael expressed genuine sadness when he referred to the deaths of his archangel brothers and did not exclude any of them, even Lucifer or Gabriel, showing despite everything they did, Michael deep down never lost his brotherly love for them. However, Michael retained his feelings of anger and resentment at Lucifer even after his death, as he literately spat on the fact that the Winchesters released Lucifer while he was left on the Cage unable to stop him and when Castiel calls Lucifer the smarter of the two archangels because he at least knew that God can't be trusted, Michael is instantly provoked into attacking his younger brother, having previously kept his composure despite his obvious anger and disbelief over the Winchester's and Castiel's claims.[11]

Michael also seems to think of himself as magnanimous when he promises to leave Dean intact after having him as a vessel and erasing the memories of his parents of Anna's attack in The Song Remains the Same. He was also shown to be a relatively forgiving person, as he forgave Uriel and Zachariah, even after Zachariah's constant failures, along with indicating a willingness to consider showing Castiel mercy despite having insulted him and helped send him to Hell, implying that despite being strict or even cruel with them, he does not enjoy killing his own kind.

However, Michael could be wrathful, particularly with anyone who interferes with his destiny, including Dean at Stull Cemetery (although this could also be a case of restraint as he just tells Dean he isn't part of this and tells him to leave as opposed to killing or forcing him), and again with Lucifer when Lucifer suggests they refuse to fight. He also kills Anna when she tries to interfere with his plan. It is this insistence on fulfilling his story as written that leads him into imprisonment in the Cage, because he pleaded with Sam, who had recently regained control of his body from Lucifer, that "I have to fight my brother," then grabbed hold of Sam's arm as Sam went tumbling down into the Cage, going down with him. After Lilith annoyed him, Michael obliterated the demon when she refused to leave him alone. His time being the leader of Heaven appears to have given him some pride even if far less extreme than Lucifer, as he noted when Lilith noted she was sent to fetch him that he was not accostumed to being fetched. When faced with Castiel's utter lack of respect over how he led Heaven, Michael displayed his pride by remaining completely unfazed, as if he saw his much younger sibling's insult as proof of his lack of understanding of the necessity and efficiency of his methods.[11]

When it comes to humans, Michael seems to be somewhat uncaring; he does not care if or how many he kills. On one notable occasion, he randomly killed a bar full of people just so he could talk to Zachariah, and referred to Dean at one point as a "maggot," just as Zachariah called Dean a "maggot inside a worm's ass." Despite this, Michael also doesn't hold any true hatred for humans, never specifically going out of his way to harm any, or even really bothering about them before the Apocalypse occurred, and unlike Lucifer, he felt no anger by God's love for humans being greater than for him, and obeyed God's orders to bow before mankind without question (though this was most likely out of loyalty to his Father). However, Castiel and Balthazar believes that Michael joined Lucifer in torturing Sam in the Cage as revenge for being trapped there, though this has neither been confirmed or denied, and Sam only remembered Lucifer torturing him, suggesting Michael didn't. After being reunited with Sam, Michael sarcastically comments that Sam looks better than the last time he saw him, but Sam simply interrupts the archangel, still leaving it a question whether or not Michael was in part responsible for Sam's state, although considering Sam's lack of resentment compared to Lucifer, any torture Michael did would be minimal at least.[11] In addition, Michael cared nothing for the humans who died when Michael entered a bar in his true form to speak with Zachariah.[4] However, it appears that his time having Adam as his vessel has somewhat softened his opinion towards mankind as Michael simply erased the memories of a diner full of witnesses who saw him kill Lilith rather than getting rid of the humans completely.[11] While Michael appears to have an uncaring view of humans, this isn't as extreme as his counterpart, who openly admitted to enjoying killing humans and ordering a genocide of the humanity in his world.

Michael is in fact in many ways a tragic figure, as both the people he loved the most either betrayed or abandoned him, and all he ever really wanted to do was to prove to his father, God, that he was a good son, the one thing that he never actually managed to achieve.

According to Lucifer, being locked in Lucifer's Cage didn't sit well with Michael and it drove him insane, leaving Michael curled up in a ball in the cage and "singing show tunes and touching himself." [8] God later stated that calling Michael into battle against the Darkness is not an option as he isn't in any shape to fight.[19] When meeting Michael's counterpart, Lucifer further added that Michael was also a drooling, hot mess.[20] After God's betrayal, Dean suspects that both God and Lucifer were simply lying about Michael's insanity.[11]

Like many angels, Michael has an extremely low opinion of demons. Upon encountering the resurrected Lilith, Michael doesn't believe her claims that God sent her and called Lilith as a demon "a speck of infernal bile." Although he worked with Lilith to bring back God, Michael openly showed he held nothing but disgust for Lilith and resented the necessity of it. Lilith's behavior leaves Michael extremely irritated and when she refuses to leave him alone, Michael simply obliterates Lilith to stop her, showing no reaction at all for killing the demon.[11]

“

Adam: The point is, parents keep secrets, right? Does it hurt to ask the question?Michael: Yes! It would. It would mean that I doubt him. The Good Son, the Favorite, doubts his father.Adam: You still care about that? After he left you in the Cage?

After escaping from the Cage and Hell, it is shown that God and Lucifer were in fact lying and though his time in the Cage has changed Michael somewhat by the time of his escape, mellowing the oldest archangel and making him unsure of his place in the world due to the other archangels being dead and, as far as he knew, God being gone, he still retains much of his old personality, remaining loyal to God and expressing anger and irritation when faced with the Winchesters and Castiel both for their role in trapping him in the Cage and in the present time and for abandoning Adam to the same fate, showing a fondness for his vessel. When confronted with the truth about his father, Michael adamantly refused to believe it and acted like a petulant child, giving Adam control simply so that he wouldn't have to listen to the truth, which he admits to being attributed to the fact that he feels doubting will mean betraying who he is as the Good and Favorite Son.

However, after Castiel shows Michael his memories of God's betrayals, including the war with the Darkness, seeing his alternate reality counterpart and the murder of Jack, Michael finally lets go of his view of God and becomes completely disillusioned in his role as God's Favorite Son, stating that he didn't even know there was more than one Michael. Embittered towards his father for his apathy towards all creation and lies, Michael willingly provides Dean and Castiel with the means to trap God and even opens a rift to Purgatory to facilitate their efforts, but he refuses to do anymore and leaves.[11]

Michael is shown to have something of a unique relationship with his vessels compared to the other archangels and even regular angels. While possessing John Winchester, Michael promised Dean to leave him "better than new" and even saw it as a kindness that he was erasing John's memory of the experience. While Michael permitted Zachariah to torment Dean to get his consent, he also attempted to talk to Dean directly and convince him as one older brother and good son to another that they had no other choice.[3] Michael originally appeared disdainful about Adam Milligan, coldly stating that "Adam isn't home right now" when Dean addressed his brother and saw Dean as no longer important since he had Adam as a vessel.[5] However, his relationship with Adam changed during their years trapped together in the Cage when Michael and Adam only had each other. Having reached an understanding with Adam and appeared to have struck up a friendship with the young man, Michael chose to share control with his vessel rather than remaining dominant at all times unlike other angels and even held conversations with Adam and sought his advice. Notably, Michael's expressed anger at Dean was for abandoning Adam in the Cage while Dean was willing to let Lucifer roam the Earth. In turn, Adam, while on friendly terms with the archangel, didn't hesitate to challenge Michael and his opinions and was unafraid of Michael's angry reactions to his questions. Notably, while angry at Adam's beliefs that the Winchesters were right, Michael was open to listening to him and Adam was even able to get Michael to admit the true reason he wasn't willing to listen. While Michael clearly valued Adam, he felt that his eternity with God and believed understanding of his father outweighed Michael's far less years with his vessel and Adam's thus far less informed opinion, at least in Michael's mind. However, Adam ultimately proved to be in the right while Michael was in the wrong.[11]

Powers and Abilities

“

Dean: So is this what I'm looking at when Michael jumps in my bones?Castiel: No, not at all. Michael is much more powerful

As the very first angel ever created, Michael is the oldest, strongest, and most powerful angel under God's command, making Michael among the oldest and most powerful supernatural beings to exist in Creation. Being the highest in Heaven's hierarchy, Michael has

immense powers. Castiel describes him as one of the few beings that are stronger than Lucifer. Castiel even mentioned that in comparison to Raphael, Michael is much more powerful. Even when Castiel was empowered with 40 million souls and being able to effortlessly destroy Raphael, he opted to keep both Lucifer and Michael in the Cage.[14] Only a few beings are known to predate and are capable of overpowering Michael. As an archangel, Michael has many powers. Below are listed all of the powers that Michael has displayed.

Lower Tier Nigh-Omnipotence - As the oldest Archangel and the first angel in general that God ever created, Michael has a tremendously vast supply of supernatural power, making him the most powerful celestial being that God created. Other angels, even some of the most powerful angels fear Michael's capabilities and powers.[4] Noted to be far superior to the younger Archangels, such as Raphael, with Castiel describing the amount of damage hosting Michael could do to Dean as being beyond that Raphael's vessel sustained, he is even ultimately more powerful than Lucifer, having defeated him during the First Heavenly Civil War and then locked him inside the Cage, with all angels being convinced that Michael would eventually kill Lucifer had they fought, it has also been noted that had Michael fought Lucifer, the impact of their battle would destroy much of Earth. He can effortlessly kill and banish lesser angels at whim, as shown by how with a single touch, Michael easily burned Anna, a powerful angel, from the inside out to death and sent Uriel back to Heaven with a snap of his fingers. By placing two fingers on Sam's forehead, Michael brought him back to life while also, at the same time, heal his wounds and sent him back to the future all at once. He was also capable of creating a weapon called the Lance of Michael that can kill demons and angels, including Archangels, as evidenced with Lucifer. In addition, he could effortlessly obliterate Lilith, the first demon, just by flashing his eyes and erase the minds of those watching with just a snap of his fingers and a command to forget. Michael was able to open a twelve-hour rift to Purgatory with yet another finger snap, which not even Raphael could do without a powerful spell. Even when powered by 30-40 million souls, Castiel still felt the need to keep Michael in the cage further showing the immensity of his powers. The only known beings more powerful than Michael are God, Jack, Death, the Darkness, and Alternate Michael[21].

Angelic Possession - Michael requires a vessel to act on Earth, and he must have the vessel's permission. His power can only be contained by someone descended from Cain and Abel.[3] Dean Winchester is his true vessel.

Apporting - Michael could send angels back to Heaven with a simple snap of his fingers, as he did with the angel Uriel.

Chronokinesis - Michael, as an Archangel, has advanced chronokinetic powers, being able to easily travel back in time to the past to stop Anna from killing Sam and Dean and back as well as return Sam and Dean to the present with just a single finger tap.[3]

Healing - Michael can easily heal others of any injury, wound and disease. Michael healed the young John Winchester from the extensive injuries he sustained after having been punched through a window by Anna. He also "fixed" Sam from the injuries he obtained from having a pipe launched through his stomach. He even went as far as to say that he could simply undo the massive damage Dean would have sustained had he became his vessel.

- Michael can easily generate an overwhelming white light that is capable of obliterating other beings while leaving others he chose unaffected, as by simply flashing his eyes, he obliterated Lilith into a pile of ashes while the rest of the diner remained unaffected.[11]

Precognition - Michael can see into the future, but not the full picture.

Pyrokinesis - Michael can manipulate and generate earthly, and even spiritual fire. He uses this ability on disobedient angels, such as he did when he set Anna ablaze, painfully killing her, instead of snapping his fingers like Lucifer.[3]

Regeneration - If his vessel becomes damaged in any way, he is able to heal it instantly and completely. For instance, his vessel Adam was set ablaze by Holy Fire, but upon his return minutes later, he didn't have a scratch either on his skin or even his clothing.

Resurrection - Michael can resurrect humans with ease. He rose Sam from the dead after Anna killed him with a pipe through the stomach.

Super Stamina - As an Archangel, Michael's stamina is incalculable and, even when in a vessel, needs nothing to maintain strength, to strive or operate, as he is self-sufficient.

Super Strength - Being the oldest, strongest, and most powerful Archangel, the physical strength that Michael endows his vessel with is immense. Due to his status and power as the oldest angel, Michael is the strongest angel and the only one whose physical strength surpasses Lucifer's own, as the demon who was possessing Bobby at the time called Michael the "toughest son of a bitch they got." Even while restrained by Supernatural Handcuffs, he retained a tremendous amount of superhuman strength that allowed him to effortlessly overpower the fallen Seraphim Castiel, able to easily slam Castiel to a table with enough force to stun him and then effortlessly lift him overhead and restrain him firmly, with Castiel being unable to break out and having to resort to showing Michael the truth.

Telekinesis - Michael is a powerful telekinetic, able to move and control objects with his mind effortlessly; he was even able to move objects in areas where he hadn't fully arrived in. He demonstrated this when he closed and locked the door to the beautiful room when Adam tried to escape it.

Telepathy - Michael is able to read the thoughts of humans. When Castiel prayed to him, he was able to (off-screen) contact his brother to tell him where to meet him.

Mental Manipulation - Michael can erase, restore, alter and fabricate the memories and perception of a human. He was able to erase John and Mary's memories of Anna Milton's attempt to kill them and with just a snap of his fingers, erased an entire diner's memories of him obliterating Lilith.

Sedation - Just like an average angel, Michael can sedate humans by touching their forehead.

Teleportation - Michael can travel from one place to another instantly, without occupying the space in between. He can also take people with him, in the blink of an eye. Although he can travel virtually anywhere in existence, he is unable to leave Lucifer's Cage once the door is closed, as it was designed to hold an Archangel. Like with Lucifer and Gabriel, Michael retains the power to teleport even after the Fall, as he was able to traverse the world at such high speeds that although Donatello could sense him, he was unable to give an accurate location and effortlessly teleported to Castiel's location. This is because Michael retains his wings unlike other angels.

Terrakinesis - Michael is able to cause powerful earthquakes by thought or presence alone. When descending to a bar on Earth to speak to Zachariah, the bar began to quiver in a manner comparable to a full-fledged earthquake.[4] In his distress, Michael later causes the Men of Letters bunker to shake.[11]

Thermokinesis - He made the door knob to the beautiful room extremely hot to prevent Dean from being able to open it and save Adam.[4]

Nigh-Omniscience - Like his brothers, Michael has a deep understanding of many things, due to him being older than the universe itself, and as the oldest, his knowledge exceeded all his brothers. Michael was immediately aware of Anna's plan to put an end to the Apocalypse despite her having traveled to a different time in the past and picked the right moment to throw if off the rails. Even while locked in the Cage, he was aware that it was the Winchesters who released Lucifer and that his Archangel brothers have died but didn't know God has returned. He also knew about junk food being bad for humans, scolding Adam for eating burger, and could easily detect Castiel's prayer. Michael even knew of the spell that was used to trap the Darkness and surmised that with God weak from the Equalizer, he could be trapped with that spell.

Immortality - As the eldest archangel, Michael has an infinitely long lifespan. He is the first angel and has existed before the universe itself, making him well over 13.8 billion years old. The excessive passing of time does not degrade his vessel, like with all celestial beings. His vessel is unaffected by diseases and toxins. He does not tire, and does not require food, water, oxygen, or sleep to sustain his vessel.

Immunity - Michael was resilient to Holy Fire, although he still found it agonizing, damaging and being able to banish him; but unlike other angels, it couldn't kill him.[5] Michael, just like Gabriel and Lucifer, proved immune to the spell Metatron used to cause the Fall, retaining his wings, and even proved to be able to retain a considerable amount of power when restrained with the Supernatural Handcuffs, as he was still easily stronger than Castiel even with the handcuffs on and was able to make the ground shake and open a rift to Purgatory.[11] Despite being weaker than his Apocalypse Worldcounterpart, Michael's resistance to the handcuffs appears to be stronger as Alternate Michael was unable to use any of his powers in the handcuffs aside from mentally commanding his monsters.[22]

Weaknesses

Although Michael is God's oldest and most powerful angel, making him vastly more powerful than any other type of angel, even he has the same weaknesses as the other archangels.

Harming, Misleading and Trapping

Enochian sigils - Even Michael cannot locate someone if they are warded by Enochian sigils.

Holy Fire - Holy fire can't kill Michael, but it can damage his vessel momentarily. Holy fire causes Michael quite a great deal of pain.[5] Following his escape from Hell, the Winchesters and Castiel were able to trap Michael in a ring of holy fire for long enough to put the Supernatural Handcuffs on him. It is unknown how long the holy fire could've held him without Michael being otherwise restrained.[11]

Lucifer's Cage - This cell can hold any angel, including Michael, without any internal means of escape.

Outside of the series, creator Eric Kripke has stated in The Official Companion Season 5 that Death is more powerful than Michael.

Interestingly, when Castiel struck Michael (in Adam's body) with a molotov of Holy Fire, Michael's anguished screams through Adam's voice became lower in pitch, distorted, and the distinctive high pitched sound that angels emit in their true forms can be heard.

Despite being the oldest of the four Archangels, he used the youngest vessels - Adam Milligan at about 19/20 and John Winchester at about 24.

Michael is the least appearing archangel and primordial in the series, only physically appearing in 3 episodes (not counting his alternate reality self).

Michael is God's oldest known creation still alive.

It is hinted at that God created many other things before Michael, but said things were destroyed by Amara, driving God to have her locked up to protect his remaining creations.

He was never seen interacting with Raphael or Gabriel, it is also unknown what terms he was on with them. However he seemed distraught when he talked about their death in Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven.

Michael is the second known angel to suffer from severe mental trauma, the first being Castiel. Both were driven to insanity as a result of Lucifer's Cage (though Castiel became insane as a result of taking on Sam's memories of the Cage). However, it is later revealed that God and Lucifer were lying about Michael's insanity.

Due to the Winchesters traveling back in time, chronologically Michael was the first Primordial entity and angel to meet the Winchesters, having met them before they were born in the timeline.[3]

Michael is the only known archangel still alive in any known universe.

When talking through a vessel, Michael appears to use a deeper voice than that of his vessel. This can best be seen when he is interacting with Adam in Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven when Adam speaks and Michael responds off-screen with a deeper voice though he manifests as a duplicate of Adam.

While originally an enemy to Team Free Will and in fact the inspiration for its formation and naming by Dean, Michael later becomes their ally.

Adam's behavior in Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven suggests that even when Adam isn't in control of his shared body, he remains aware of the world around him and the events occurring and that it is not just Michael filling him in on what he missed. In particular, when Dean requests to speak to Adam, Michael changes over and Adam instantly responds to Dean as if Dean had asked Adam to speak with him and not Michael as the intermediary.

Michael is effectively the only known angel remaining that still possesses his wings.

Michael is the first angel ever created. Funnily enough, Lilith, the first demon ever, is wiped out by the first archangel Michael.

Until Castiel showed him, he apparently had no idea of other archangels beside his brothers exist, whereas Lucifer and Gabriel did.

Although he never met him, Michael is aware of his nephew Jack after he saw him in Castiel's a memories.

Despite being more powerful than Lucifer, who eventually neutralized Holy Fire every time the Winchesters used it against him, Michael ironically has been successfully affected by holy fire by them twice: he was banished when Castiel threw a molotov of holy fire on him and Castiel trapped him with Holy Fire, although in the latter's case, Sam and Dean were already waiting to restrain him with supernatural handcuffs.

In Lore

Many exorcisms invoke the name of the Archangel Michael, to defeat and banish the demon.

In the final judgment, Michael is shown as the weigher of souls.

Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are the only angels who are also saints.

He is the Archistratege of God ('Archistratege' being a military rank of the highest degree, superior to a field marshal or grand admiral).

He is the only angel in the Bible named as an Archangel; the rest were named in different interpretations of the Bible and other biblical scrolls, or given the title by the Catholic Church. This is why he is considered the Archangel.

Michael is known as the 'Prince of the Seraphim' (the Seraphim being the highest order of angels).

Archangel Michael is celebrated yearly on September 28, the day known as Michaelmas, or the Feast of Saint Michael.

He is often shown as the angel who spoke to Moses as a burning bush, delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses, and fought with Lucifer over Moses' body and won.

In the Apocalypse, Michael leads the army of Heaven and defeats Lucifer and the Antichrist.

Some believe the Archangel Michael and Jesus Christ are one and the same.